Let me take her place instead
by Plasmolysed Cell Membrane
Summary: A brother's love for his sister takes the siblings into Middle-earth. A journey that changes their lives forever and a love that once was thought to be unreal, became true.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Lord of the rings does not belong to me.  
  
Let me take her place instead  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Chelsea's POV________________________________________________________  
  
  
  
I had made a huge sacrifice when I stood in front of that truck. Life had been taken right there and then, but it was to my biggest regret that it was not my own. Someone else took me place, someone whom I had not yet realized was most dear to me. As soon as the vehicle rammed into me, I knew something awful had happened.   
  
I had felt no pain.   
  
But darkness washed over me and I fell, far away from my life on this earth.  
  
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"Matthew, get up you bloody git, get up!" I yelled, as I shook my brother from his slumber. He was asleep, his head on the kitchen table, surrounded by empty mugs. It must be one of his 'major' tests, the hardworking ant of a boy thinks the world will end if he fails a test. He really needs to get a life.  
  
  
  
"Wot time is it..." He mumbled in his half awake state of mind, his eyes still closed as he let out a slow, draggy yawn.   
  
"Its 8 a.m. Good time to wake up, I'd guess. Which reminds me, what time did you say your test was? 8.30 a.m.? I could have sworn you said that before you..." I could not continue, Matthew had sprung up from his seat and started frantically for the bathroom.  
  
  
  
"Bloody hell, Chelsea! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" He exclaimed. He struggled to pull on his sweater as he headed straight for the front door.  
  
  
  
"I would 'ave if you 'adn't told me to bugger off the night before. And aren't you forgetting something?" I asked, holding up a brown bag and his pencil case. Matthew snatched his lunch and writing material out of my grasp. I turned my cheek to him and made a kissing sound. "Where's my kiss now?" I laughed, mimicking my mother's voice, she had been doing that since we were little, everyday before we left the house for school and I loved to annoy him with it.   
  
  
  
"Don't take a piss on me, I'm not in the mood to entertain you."He snapped, shooting a glare at me before slamming the front door behind him.   
  
  
  
That was my twin brother for you, a fourteen-year-old, in senior high school. Genius, that boy is. I will never be able to hold candle to him. I cannot solve mathematics problems nor can I sing like him and I certainly cannot write like he does. Oh, can he write, if you were to enter his bedroom, post-its all around, from the tiny lamp by the side of his bed, to the closet at the end of his room. Covered with post-its filled with writing. Poetry of every kind, and my favorites were his limericks. Hilarious and written with his whole heart. It was like his diary, but he only chose to put them down in beautiful words and he did not mind me coming into his room and reading them, for he knew that I could not read half the words his wrote. They were always in cursive. "The makings of a doctor," my Dad would always say proudly. My father was too, one of a medical profession himself. I never see much of him, and really, I thank God for that, we can never sit at the dinner table before he starts picking on me and praising Matthew for how brilliant he is, not that he is not, but I just wished once in a while, I was the apple of his eye.  
  
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"Why can't you understand that x and y just cant be added up to give you xy? Its supposed to be x plus y!" Dad yelled for the thousandth time that night. He was so frustrated by that fact that I am not mathematically inclined the way he is. "Your brother can do it, why can't you.." He stopped when the phone rang.   
  
  
  
I glanced around the room through the tears in my eyes, and then I rested my gaze on his name stand that was on his desk. 'Dr H. Okasaki.' it read. I will never be a doctor. He had insisted that I come to the hospital that night so he could tutor me. I was so tired I could not get a single sum right. My dad is really smart, he came to England when he was seventeen, not knowing a word of English but he managed to get by in medical school and he speaks English better than an English man. So when he sees how horrible I am in school, I know it hurts him so much. But little does he know how much it hurts me too, especially when he compares me with Matthew.  
  
  
  
As soon as he put down the phone, he folded a page in my assessment book and said, "I have to see a patient now, by the time I come back, I want to see this page done. The whole page." He ordered, getting up to and walking towards the door. He had not said anything more and it made me even more upset because when I was younger, he used to tell me, "Gambatte ne." Which would mean, "You can do it." in Japanese, and it would lift my spirits but he does not anymore and it just makes me feel like he has given up all hope on me, that he cannot even tell me that I can do it.  
  
  
  
I sighed as I picked up the book and looked at the problems. There were so many that I did not know where to start. I did not even know how to start and I was definitely not in the mood for work. Mom was right about me, I let my emotions take control of me most of the time, which made me such a wonderful artist. But it made me a very angry and cold person who always wanted to be alone. I usually was anyway, because I did not care about what anybody was talking about, I did not care about all that pop idol crap or about movie stars. I went past that such a long time ago so much so that it made me bored whenever anyone tried to tell me about it. I felt so old sometimes, I needed something real. And I longed for someone less perfect than pop idols or movie stars because they are unreachable. I needed someone who would just love me back when I love them. I did not have that and maybe that was all that I have been looking for in this world, all that was keeping me alive.  
  
  
  
There was nothing I could do in this book, I decided, frowning. I flopped it back on the desk and wrote a note to my father, telling him that I had gone for a walk because I needed to clear my head and I could not do any of the sums anyway. I left the room, not knowing what would happen on that walk, not knowing it would change my life forever.   
  
Matthew's POV________________________________________  
  
Dad brought Chelsea to work today, it was another round of lessons. I told him that I could help her and that she did not have to go all the way to the hospital with him but he says I am too lenient with her. She put up a good fight about going to his office and I could tell she wanted to hit somebody. On her way out, she had meant to punch the wall, but she had punched me instead. It hurt but I had stood in front of her because it would have hurt her instead to punch the wall. She had done it so many times that her knuckles are scarred. Most of the time, they would end up all bloody and she would be sprawled out on the floor in tears. When I tried to comfort her, she would scream at me and tell me to get out of her room. I wish I could help her. I think the reason for her behavior is because she is not very good at her work academically and that I am better than she is at school but she does not have to be. She is beautiful and she is a wonderful artist and she can play the flute like no one I have ever heard before. The only thing I could do for her, at least from afar, is pray.  
  
  
  
Every night before I go to bed, I say the same prayer for her. The words never change and neither does my heart, not until she will let me be her brother once again, and not the person she thinks is casting a shadow over her. I had not known that this would be the last time I would say this prayer.  
  
  
  
Dandelions and wishing stars do not work on Chelsea, Lord.  
  
And I, her brother, away she has cast.  
  
From afar I watch her cry, drowning in her violent sobs.  
  
Oh, how long will her sorrow last?  
  
So this prayer I say for her, with my whole heart and soul.  
  
Protect her and give her strength.  
  
Give her courage and hold her hand.  
  
Help me whisper I love you to her.  
  
Lest she forget she is still loved.  
  
  
  
And if any danger comes her way.  
  
Put me in her place...  
  
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Instead.  
  
Chelsea's POV_______________________________________________  
  
I saw the lights and then it was like a big truck had rammed over me. I could feel the weight of it but the impact had lessened by so much, it was as if someone had stood in front of me and took the hit for me. I do not know what happened because I had closed my eyes and looked away. But it felt like a miracle. And it was because the next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was not a pitch black road, there were no cars or buses or trucks, everything modern and cement just vanished. It was just vast land that I was looking at now, big and filled with grass and rocks. Shit, what the hell happened?  
  
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I think I must have sat on the same rock for about three hours before I heard some galloping. Yes, I am quite sure it sounded like galloping, cars do not make that thumping sound. I was still in my jeans and T-shirt and I was actually feeling quite cold as night was about to come. The sun began to set and the sky was beautiful and the ambience was tremendously breath-taking. But it still did not make me feel any less scared. I was in the middle of nowhere with no clue how I ended up there and how to go home. There was no one in sight, not to mention, I was not exactly sure I was in the right century.  
  
As the horses approached, I noticed there were people riding on them. How splendid, now I can ask for directions! I shouted as they came even closer, "Hey man, do you know how to get to Cambridge?" The riders stopped before me but none got off. They were all cloaked in brown and had long hair, some were brunettes and others, blonde. But I was pretty sure they were all male.  
  
"N'ndengina ta." I heard one of them say to another. He was a blonde and he seemed to be the leader, the way the others seem to hold back after what he had said. I wonder what he said, and in what language. I loved listening to others speak in their own languages but this guy, I had no idea what he was speaking. He turned to me and seemed to be asking something that sounded like, "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?"   
  
  
  
It took me a long time to think of how I should respond to that. By that time, he had asked a billion questions like "Manke naa lle tuulo'?" and "Mankoi naa lle sinome?" Finally, all I managed to come up with was. "I beg your pardon?" The blonde's eyes widened and he turned the guy on his right and whispered something. He face me again.  
  
"You speak the common language." He exclaimed. Common language? I shrugged.  
  
"Well, its just English. But I guess you can call it the common language, it is international after all I suppose. I could speak to you in Japanese if you like. Though I don't think you'll catch much of it."  
  
"What is your name? What are you doing here? Are you human?"  
  
"The name's Chelsea. I'm lost and I don't know how I got here. Umm, and like yeah. What do you think? I'm no martian you know."  
  
The guys looked confused. And a brunette asked, "Where do you come from?"  
  
"Cambridge." Again, there were puzzled faces amongst them.  
  
"This, Cambridge, is it in Gondor? You have the characteristics of a human, but there is something different about you. And your clothes."   
  
  
  
"Like, what's Gondor?" I was confused now. So we were a bunch of very confused people. That did not really help very much when you are lost. The guys started conversing amongst themselves again, and they did not seem to be able to help me so I just nodded to myself and started to walk away. But the blonde called, "Chelsea, wait!"  
  
  
  
I liked the way he said my name. It was like a new language to him and he made it sound so unique and beautiful.  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"You have no place to go, yes?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
  
"Then come with us. We are heading for Rivendell. If you wish, we can take you there. It will be much better than staying out here with no food or water. In addition, It could be dangerous.."  
  
  
  
"Yes! I mean, yes, of course. Thank you. I'd like that very much," I said, feeling like there was a little hope left. This Rivendell place sounded more of a civilization than the vast land I was standing on. For a minute there, the name sounded very familiar. Like something I had read in a book. I shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. Fairy tales never come true, face it. And anyway, just like every other book I have ever read, it would not be finished because I cannot tell you how much I detest reading. I never get very far.  
  
The blonde elf got off his horse and did a gesture with his hand, a greeting of some kind I suppose.   
  
"Legolas is my name," He said, giving me a warm smile. He had lovely blue eyes and had sharp features, his cheek bones slightly showing how thin he was. He also had really good complexion, I wonder what he used for his face. Come to think of it, all the guys on the horses had wonderful complexion. But I still think Legolas is the most handsome. He took his cloak off and handed it to me. He was wearing a silvery tunic like shirt with a Chinese style collar, very strange.  
  
  
  
"Take it, you must be cold. Your clothes are of such thin material." He said, his eyes scanning me up and down. I looked down at my own outfit, I was not surprise he could tell that my clothes were thin. My white t-shirt was revealing much of my arms and a little of my waist and you could practically see the color of my skin beneath it the whiteness of it.  
  
  
  
"Aren't you cold?" I asked, taking the cloak from his hand. My hand brushed against his slightly and it felt very warm, I did not need him to answer me but he just chuckled. "No, we do not use these cloaks to keep us warm. They are more for camouflage. But we are nearing Rivendell, it is less likely we be seen by unfriendly eyes." I nodded and thanked him.  
  
  
  
Legolas scanned the surroundings and then he spoke again but in the language he used with the others. He then turned to me and said, "We will rest here tonight."   
  
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Elvish translations:  
  
N'ndengina ta - Don't kill it  
  
  
  
Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie- Do you speak Elvish  
  
Manke naa lle tuulo'- Where are you from  
  
Mankoi naa lle sinome? - What are you doing here  
  
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Plasmolysed Cell Membrane: Hey! I'm having a major writer's block here, so Crazy and Beautiful and Worlds Apart will have to wait.  
  
I hope you'll enjoy this new fic and yeah, get all geared up for ROTK yeah !! Sigh* marathon tickets are all sold out! WHAAAAAA! 


	2. chapter 2

disclaimer: Lord of the rings does not belong to me.  
  
Let me take her place  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Chelsea's POV____________________________________________________  
  
"Chelsea, how old are you?" Legolas asked. We had begun riding once first light had come. I could hardly open my eyes even though I would usually count myself as a morning person. I had been up all night, thinking about how awful it is to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I mean really, this is nowhere! I also wondered about my family. About Dad, Mum and of course, dear Matthew. I was worried about him, what if he was here too? I could sense things about my brother. I could tell when he was nearby or if he was hurt. Some say its a twin thing and I suppose it might be, as ridiculous as it sounds.  
  
  
  
I leaned my head against his back and yawned, "Fourteen." I had been tilting back and forth while riding on the horse, I was quite afraid that I might just fall off if I had actually fallen asleep. I know it seems odd to be leaning on someone I hardly knew but for safety purposes, I hope he did not mind. But by the looks of it, I suppose he did not. He stopped his perpetual need for asking me questions and shifted his back to make it more comfortable for me. The last thing I heard before I drifted off into my sleep was his humming, a soft lullaby.  
  
  
  
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Evening had already come by the time I opened my eyes once again. What I was staring at when I finally came round was beyond words. The first thing I saw was a ceiling lined with architecture carved out of wood, beautifully varnished and the patterns on it were so detailed. There were no walls, only pillars which were painted white and pale blue curtains, flowing in the night breeze.  
  
  
  
Everything was in its place, if you were to put something somewhere else, it would probably stick out like an elephant in a cherry bush. I had not even realised that I was lying in a bed when I had woken up. Enough staring, I finally slapped myself from the enchanting surroundings. Pushing myself from off my bed, I discovered that I was out of my jeans and t-shirt, instead, I had on some kind of night gown. It was white with gold strings running down the bodice and it hugged me around the waist. But it was extremely comfortable to wear.   
  
  
  
"Good evening, Chelsea." a voice came from behind me, giving me a great big shock.  
  
  
  
"Good grief! Its you Legolas. You could have given me a heartattack there." I snorted and then grinned. He stared at me like he had never met a girl before. Actually, I would not be suprised if he had not. He shook his head as if to clear away whatever image he was seeing.   
  
  
  
"I apologize. But I... forgot to ask you about something."  
  
I sighed. Here we go again, as if he the whole of last night and this morning was not enough. Questions, questions, questions. "Ask away..." I mumbled under my breath, in a bored tone.  
  
  
  
"This," he said. Its seems like I had just finally miserably in showing any hints of irritation in my voice as he pulled out my cell phone from his pocket. I stared at it for a while and decided if I should explain it to him before more questions erupt from that insquisitive mind. "Is this, a weapon?" Now that, was funny.  
  
  
  
"Yes, I suppose you could use it as a weapon." I laughed, remembering how many times I have thrown it at Matthew for saying something really stupid. I gave it a toss and at this, Legolas backed off a little.   
  
  
  
"I was only joking, Leggie. You don't have to be such a bitty."  
  
"What did you just call me?"  
  
  
  
"Leggie. Peggie. Veggie. What's the difference these days? You add a GY here and a P there, take away the L. You get something that sounds like your name but isn't but people are gonna keep calling you that! You know why?" I took and deep breath and the confused Legolas asked, "Why?"  
  
  
  
I laughed again. I had been so long since I laughed like that. "Oh Leggie, Honey. That was a rhetorical question! But I'll tell you anyways. Because they don't care about what your name is! But the important thing is, you know your own name." As soon as I finished that last piece of crap I had just babbled, I collapsed backwards onto the bed and laughed even harder. It was like I had gone crazy. Legolas grabbed my arm and tried to pull me up but my laughter became hysterical and I fell back again, pulling him along with me.  
  
  
  
He was lying down beside me now, laughing. Laughter is contagious and he caught it. I turned my head to face his.   
  
"Legolas?" I called for him to face me.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
  
  
"Did you drug me with some kind of laughter potion when I was asleep?" I asked, I had come into such an obscure place with no reason for being here at all, asking that did not seem so ridiculous as it should have been yesterday.  
  
"Don't be absurd. There's no such thing."  
  
  
  
"Then why am I laughing when I should be scared?" I asked again. It seemed to be my turn to be annoying with questions.  
  
  
  
"I don't know. But you shouldn't stop."  
  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
  
"Because if you do, then I will too and I don't want to."  
  
  
  
"Legolas. You won't be able to breathe if you keep laughing."  
  
  
  
Legolas laughed again and just as he did that, I took out my phone and turned it on to camera mode. I clicked on it and captured his laughing state.   
  
  
  
"What did you do?" He asked, reaching for the phone. He sat up as he ran his fingers lightly over the buttons in fascination. I sat up as well and reached for it. I showed him his picture and he seemed to pale slightly. "This shows the past?"  
  
  
  
I shook my head. "Not exactly. You can capture anything you want. Like I wanted to capture you laughing, so all I had to do is click on this button." Legolas nodded as I showed him how to use it and he seemed to be able to grasp the concept easily. "Do you want to try it?"  
  
  
  
"No. I don't have anything I would like to remember right now." He said, getting up from the bed and straightening out his clothes. His face turned serious as if we had not just laughed like two hooligans. Is he trying to hide something? It was such an abrupt change in expression. "Lady Chelsea, I am to invite you for dinner."  
  
  
  
"Dinner sounds like a good idea, Legolas." A voice came from the entrance of the room. It was another guy with long dark hair and well, wearing that Chinese collar thing. He looked a lot older than Legolas and I. But the thing is, I could not make a judgement like that since I had no idea how old Legolas was. He could be ninety for all I know.  
  
  
  
The man continued, "We expected you to have been down there twenty minutes ago." He then turned to me. "My apologises, my lady. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Legolas volunteered to escort you to the dining hall but took such a long time to show up, we were wondering what happened to him."   
  
  
  
"Well, I don't have anything to wear." I said, looking down at the night gown I was wearing. Surely they, whoever they were, would find this a little, inappropriate.  
  
Legolas took off the cloak he was wearing, this time, it was a red one. He tied it around my neck and said, "There." As we walked down to the dining hall, I whispered. "Leggie, aren't you cold? Surely you don't use this cloak for camouflage too." At this, Legolas smiled again. "Yes, I am cold. But I can't waste anymore time looking for a dress for you. This will have to do for now." Before we entered the dining hall, Elrond pulled Legolas aside. "A word, Legolas." I could not hear what he was saying, but he seemed quite angry. I hope it was not because we were late.  
  
  
  
Legolas' POV______________________________________________  
  
  
  
I did not know who this girl was, and yet I had done everything I had refrained from doing for the past hundred years around her. What had brought out my true nature, I did not know, but the feeling I had then was unexplainable and also, in a way, wonderful. I had never laughed so freely and naturally around anyone like that for such a long time. Could it be her youth that sparked such merriment?  
  
  
  
But it was all over when Lord Elrond came, I had not even noticed his presence approaching even though I should have. I had even forgotten the time, forgetting that I was hungry. Lord Elrond had told me not to see her anymore. He warned me about what would happen to me if I had fallen in love with her. I would be just like Arwen, her love for Aragorn made her as dead as a mortal. But she never seemed to be worried about death. She only cared about love. I wish I could be more like her but I am such a coward.   
  
  
  
"Legolas, what is on your mind? You haven't touched your food." I turned to find Arwen, seated beside me. I had not even notice her there. I gave her a slight smile. "You were on my mind." I told her. Arwen laughed. She had always been a good friend of mine. We wrote often but stopped as we grew older. "Don't let Aragorn hear that. He'll slaughter you." She joked. She took me by my arm and brought me outside. Nobody seemed to notice our leave except Aragorn because they were so absorbed by Chelsea, asking her questions. Arwen gave Aragorn a look, telling him to stay put.   
  
  
  
As soon as we were outside, she went straight into what she had longed to ask. "Why did you stop writing? What happened, Legolas?"   
  
  
  
"I didn't stop. I must have started about a few hundred letters but I did not know what to tell you anymore. I was afraid you might think differently about me because you had started to change. You started to tell me about this elf and that elf and how wonderful he was and I was afraid that you had grown up before I did. And that you weren't interested in autumn leaves and dew drops anymore. I was so scared you wouldn't like me anymore because you grew up, Arwen. And you left me behind."   
  
  
  
Arwen looked at me and then she laughed. "Legolas. I would never leave you behind. But it seems you've found someone you're fond of..."   
  
"Where did you hear of such a thing?" I asked. How could she know I was fond of anyone before I even knew who I was fond of? Arwen grinned. "My dear Legolas, you're a prince. A very charming one, young and handsome. Are you surprised that the maidens gossip about you? Even while at Lothlorien I have heard so much about you. And now, you lend a girl your favourite cloak and even let her sleep in your room."   
  
  
  
"I... how did you know?" I stammered. I could not believe she heard about it so quickly. Its just absurd!  
  
"I heard one of the maids telling another that you had this strange girl asleep in your arms when you arrived in Rivendell and you told the maid to clean her up and let her rest in your bed."  
  
  
  
"That doesn't mean I'm fond of her." I lied. I did like her but I was not going to do anything about it. She is far too young anyway.  
  
"Whatever you say, Legolas." Arwen said. She tossed her hair in my face and smirked. "Whatever you say."  
  
  
  
Why does she always do that to me?  
  
  
  
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Plasmolysed Cell membrane: I have nothing to add on to this chapter. I just hope all of you like it and plese tell me what you think. 


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